West Indian great Brian Lara says Wasim Akram is the best bowler he faced during his 17-year international career.
Lara – one of the finest batsmen in cricket history – explained why the legendary Pakistan seamer was such a tough proposition with ball in hand.
“He (Akram) is the best that I’ve faced,” Lara told This Is Your Sporting Life - For Tobin Brothers Funerals, celebrating lives.
“Very deceptive in pace; he was not slow. But pace was not his main concentration … he swung the ball both ways at 80 mph and then pumped it up to 95.
“My nemesis of course was Glenn McGrath but when you’re talking about somebody who could make you look really stupid; it would have been Wasim Akram.”
As for the quickest bowler he faced, Lara says a fiery spell from former Australian spearhead Brett Lee immediately springs to mind.
“I didn’t play much against Shoaib Akhtar, and he looked very quick,” Lara said.
“But a spell of bowling I had against Brett Lee in Trinidad and Tobago just before I scored my first hundred in Trinidad and Tobago, which was my hometown.
“He (Lee) came in on the fourth or fifth morning and he gave me a proper, proper spell of fast bowling. Every time I see him, I said that was maybe the fastest I’ve ever faced.”
Lara scored 11,912 runs at an average of 53.17 with 34 hundreds from 131 Tests for the West Indies.
The dashing left-hander holds the record for the highest individual Test score – 400 not out against England in 2004 – and the highest first-class score – 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994.
Listen to Brian Lara’s chat on This is Your Sporting Life with Peter Donegan in the player below